“ The leaf of the camomile, parboiled in water, conduces to calm. And yet I do not worship it. ”
We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.
~ David Mamet
It's only words... unless they're true.
Every scene should be able to answer three questions: Who wants what from whom? What happens if they don't get it? Why now?
Society functions in a way much more interesting than the multiple-choice pattern we have been rewarded for succeeding at in school. Success in life comes not from the ability to choose between the four presented answers, but from the rather more difficult and painfully acquired ability to formulate the questions.